Idaho Snowpack Becoming Worrisome

The region is about seven weeks into the snow season, and while some areas are reporting very strong snowpacks, not everyone can say that.  Erin Whorton with NRSC said the snow season is off to a really difficult start in eastern Idaho.

“We're setting record low levels in the Snake River headwaters.  They had carryover storage that was slightly below last year, about 250,000 acre-feet. So, they need to get snowpack to fill the reservoir this year, and this is not a great start to that season.”

Basins in eastern Idaho right now are around 65% of average for this time of year.  And unfortunately, several neighboring basins are below average as well.  Whorton said the dismal snowpack is concerning, but she stressed there still a lot of time for those numbers to improve.

“We can be worried now, and we'd like to see improvements, but I don't think we should be panicking.  We have four more months in the snow building season, so I’m hopeful Mother Nature will start delivering storms to those areas and we’ll start seeing improvements.”

Water year to date for Precipitation numbers, which is how much precipitation has fallen since October 1st.

Whorton says there are some areas that are enjoying good to great snowpack numbers, including northern and western Idaho.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com